Windmill and the like



June y24 1924.

1,?, ff, W;

June 24 1924.

, w. E. MUNTZ WINDMILL AND THE LIKE Filed Nov. l0 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Cir Patented June 24, 1924.

UNITED STATES WILLIAM EDGAR MUNTZ, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

WINDMILL AND LIKE.

Application filed November 10, 1921. Serial No. 514,301.

To all whom. it may conce/rn:

Be it known that L Hannan EDGAR MUNTZ, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and resident of V24C, Southampton Buildings, London, England, late of His Majestys Public lVorlrs Department, India, have invented new and useful Improvements in lvindmills and the like, of which the following is a specification.

In bye gone Vdays before the invention of the steam-engine and when, before the repeal of the corn laws, practically the whole of they grain in the United Kingdom was home-grown, it was ground locally for the ,farmers by mills driven by water power where available or in the alternative by windmills which have more and more fallen into disuse but of which the ruins :are still in evidence throughout the country side.

These windmills were all more or less constructed on the same pattern i` e. a hollow brick-work tower sheltering the grinding machinery of the mill proper and on the summit of them a platform capable ofl being revolved supporting the, axle geared up to the mill stones the sails or vanes rigidly attached to this aide being so designed as toy cause it to revolve by the force of the wind sliding off them-at an angle as it passed through this wind wheel.

These sails were evidently purposely made of fabric stretched over light wooden frames so as to reduce to a minimum 'the overehanging weight of the wind wheel.

The extremity'of the arle remote from the onecoming Wind was embraced by the eye of a strut extending outwards and downwards to the ground' with a friction wheel inserted in that end running on a circular tram-line around the supporting tower so as to allow of the platform supporting the axle and sails lbeing revolved by a hand-winch t0 voppose 'these sails to the wind at such angle as desired steam engines with a cheap coal supply came more and more into general use and as grain was imported from abroad in.

ever-increasing quantities, the grinding of it locally fell more and more into desuetude 'but a certain demand arose for Windmills apparently originating in the Colonies, to pump water from wells for'dornestic use and this demand lhas been met by the vconstruction 'of small galvanized iron wheels having a large .number of vanes inclined to the Vdirection of the wind and almost overlapping and having further a rudder or tail serving to automatically' oppose the full width of the wheell to an ever varying` direction ofthe wind'. y

The design of these metallic wind Wheels whilst probably tending to increaseeliioiency and eliminate the factor'of damage to the sails by galos had however this lvery serious disadvantage of enormously increasingtheir over-hanging weight which our ancestors so evidently foresaw would in volve not only undue fatigue on the axle itself and uneven friction on its bearings but militate seriously against that balance of the revolving platform so necessary to avoid distortion of the super-structure besides increasing the resistance to theautomatic adjustment to meet the on-coming wind.

The object then of this my invention is so to modify the design of the metallic windmills to day in general use, that Whilst conserw'ing their advantages over those of our ancestors l eliminate and neutralize the factor of increased over-hanging weight with its consequential drawbacks as above enumerated. i

In carrying out my invention one or more wind wheels or other 'rotative power absorbing members are supported by an annular oat to which is `connected one end of a tie rodgthe other end beineanchored where the axis of rotation of the float cuts the Y round, the whole 'being so arrangedas to al ow the float freely to turn and to tilt.V Y

Preferably provide two wind .wheels one of which is mounted 'at one end of a shaft and the yother at the other end, the axis of said shaft passing through the axis of revolution of the float; the'wind wheels have equal moments on the supporting sha-ft bearings so that one may balance the other and give an even distribution of pressure.

on the shaft bearings and on the float. If the' wind wheels are equidistant from the axis of revolution of the float they will be made of the same weight.

The float may conveniently have secured thereto a platform on "which the shaft bearings and possibly a dynamo or other actuated machinery are mounted.

vThe float is luidly supported in an annular tank which i's prefer-'ably mounted on three latticed steel or wooden legs lpositioned one at each corner of an equilateral triangle.

The tank is of such depth and width'as will allow of the Vilmnersion of thel float therein whilst ensuring under all circumstances its complete flotation i.V e. that the tremity is anchored where*V the axis of rota-v tion of platform cuts the ground and ateach ofits ends is a universal joint to allow of fthe tilting over of the platform and float as a whole by wind pressure whilst at the same time preventing the latter touching the sides Y of the tank. Y

vAs in theepresent day type of windmill, a rudder maybe affixed if found desirableto automatically hold the'wheels up to the wind. 'i

" Preferably tooone of the wheels would Vbe of considerablylarger diameter than the other, the spaceoccupled by its vanes being annular along its circumference and the smaller wheel being of approximately the same diameter asthe iin-obstructed centreV of the larger one, the sectional areas of those Vparts of the surface of each wheel filled in with vanes when taken across the direction of the wind being preferably equal.

I do not wish to limit my invention to the lattice work legs I judge best Vto minimize .obstruction of the wind nor do I'wish to limit it to a doublewheel nor'to an annular fluid tankl as the platform'may revolve on modification of a water slide or anyy greased equivalent or even onconicalrollers or balls; my invention in its best form com I prises the combination of two windwheelsY one on eachjside of their supporting platform andthe outside bearings of their shaft being as 'close to Vthe circumference of this platform as may be found feasible,with' an annular float` or equivalent device which shall give an'ever-increasing counter-thrust against any tilting that may occur of the revolving platform` whilst conserving a vminimum of resistance to its automatic adjustment.

Each ofthese two integers or factors I be-` lieve to be .newras applied torwindmills or the like, whether of the metallic-vaned type or' otherwise and I also believe that'withV twoppposed wheels on the same shaft, theV varied-areaVY in one being complementary to the vaned-area 1n the other, is a novelty.

ably mount one vof them on a shaftrotatingr 1n fixed bearings Vwhilst the otherI wheel is When two wheels areremployed I preferp tie-rod 18.

mounted on a shaft rotating in the rocking bearing,rthe adjacent ends of the shafts being coupled together as by forming the one withV a squared end located within a squared recess in the end of the other, play being' allowed so that should the wind pressure tendto tilt over one of the wheels7 the corresponding windV pressure on the other wheel will inpart or in whole neutralize this tendency to tilt. i u

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate the invention Figure 1 is a section, Figure 2 is a plan thereof, and Figure 3 is a detail view.

1V are latticed girders on the top of which l is mounted an annular tank 2 containing liquid` 3 is an annular float floating in the tank 2 and having mounted'upon it a platform Ll carrying fixed bearings V5, for a shaft and a rocking bearing 7 for a shaft C 8. lThe shaft S Vis provided with a squared recess the walls of which are engaged pref-` erably witha certain amount of play by the squared end 9 of the shaft 6. Mounted upon the shaft 6 is a wind wheel 1Q cornprising a number of vanes carried by a rim 11 Vwhich is carried by spokes 12 on a hub 13. shaft 8 land comprising a number of vanes the diameter of the wheel 14 beingapproxi- 111 is a wind wheel mounted on the Vmately equal to the interior diameter of the i rim 11, the combined area of the vanes on the wheel 10 being also approximately equal tothe combined area of the vanes on the wheel 14. Y

A casing 16 is carried by ball bearings on the shaft 6, and between the casing 16A and a flange 15 on the shaft 6 is interposed a thrust bearing.V The casing 16 is connected by a ball and socket joint 17 to a tie-rod 1S the other end of which is similarly pro- K Vvided with a ball 19 engaging a socketcarried by a foundation bolt 2O let into the concrete or other 'foundation and situated inline with the Vnormal axis of rotation of Vtheifioat 8, The tie-rod 18 is'providedwith Va right and left hand threaded sleeve 21 by means of which the length of the rod 18 can beV adjusted. 22 is a'dynamormounted on the platform t and connected by gearing 23 to the coupled shafts 6, 8.

Current is led from the dynamo 22`by insulated cables 24 It will be seen that when the wheels 10 and-14 are subjected to uneven fluid pressure,`the shaftsY 6, 8, opposite directions. A

What I claim is 1 .Y

1.*A rotary prime mover adapted to be Vactuated by fluid pressure comprising, ka

passing through the hollow Y will tend to tilt in rotative power absorbing member, :and ay A shaft therefor, said shaft bein@- on'a yielding rotatable membetf.4 A

f, 2.!Arrotary prime mover adaptedto be supported Y actuated by duid pressure Comprising a rotative power absorbing member, and a shatt therefors id shaft being supported on a floating rotatable member.

A rotary prime mover adapted to be actuated by fluid pressure comprising, a rotative power absorbing member a shaft therefor, and supporting mechanism for said shaft', said supportingv mechanism in- @lud g' a Vtioat upon which said shaft is mounted and iifpiid Containing tank adapted to receive support the float.

rotary mover adapted to be actuated b; fluid p essure comprising7 a rotative power absorbing' i. einherle a shaft therei'or and siipg |or"ig meehanism for said matti: said suppe i mechanism including a circular tioat upon which said shaftI is mounted and liquid containing uk adapted to rereive and support the tioar..

5. A rotary prime mover adapted to be aotuat d by iiuid pressure comprising, ar rotative power absorbing member7 and a shaft therefor, said shaft being supported on a yieldingrotatabie member, said member being connected at a point away from its axis of rotation with a fixed point spaced from said member and in line with its aXis ot rotation.

6. rotary prime mover adapted to be actuated by liuid pressure comprising7 a ,rotative power absorbing member, and a shaft therefor3 said shaft being supported on a floating rotatable member, said member being connected at a point away from its axis ot rotation with a tired pointJ spaced from said member and in line with its aXis ot rotation.

T. rotary prime mover adapted to be actuated by Huid pressure comprising, a pair of rotative power absoroing members, shafts therefor, said shaitts being supported on a yieiding rotatable member and being connected against relative rot-ary movement while permitting lateral play.

8. rotary prime mover adapted to be yactuated by duid pressure comprising, a

pair of rotative power absorbing` members, shafts therefor, said shafts being suported on a floating rotatable member and being connected againstrelat-ive rotary movement while permitting lateral play.

9. In a windmill, pair of vane wheels, and a common shaft. upon which said wheels are mounted, said shaft being divided and the parts connected so as to prevent relative rotary movement, but permit lateral play, one of said wheels having its operative area disc-shaped and the other having its operative area annular in shape.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name this 21stday of Gotober 1921.

WILLIAM EDGAR MUNTZ. 

